Image: vogue.com
I stumbled upon blogging in 2004, and I remember the beginnings of the blogging scene just before it became big in 2008-2009, so over the years I’ve picked up many lessons along the way.
Here’s a question a reader asked awhile ago:
I’m writing this not only to tell you what an inspiration you are to me as a new blogger but also for advice. I’m extremely interested in making my blog my part time, if not full time job someday in the future. Do you have any advice for a girl like myself on how to achieve success in the blogging world and what steps I can take to someday make this a source of income as well? Any little bit of information would be much appreciated as this is truly a deep passion of mine.
I gotta admit, I think these days it would be pretty tough, only due to the vast amount of blogs there are now a days; there are millions upon millions and it’s tough to stand out! But I believe it can still be done with a lot of hard work. It’s a cliche I know, but dreams do come true, just be patient and work hard. Here are my tips on not so much on how to make money on your blog (the #1 thing I get asked!), but rather what makes a good blog; so that more people will be reading, your traffic will go up, and therefore get on it’s way to making an income.
My Beauty Blogging Tips
1. Have a good design. Everyone will tell you that with blogs “content is king”, but I say design is king. It is the very first impression, and I have focused A LOT (maybe too much) time on design from the various blogs and websites I’ve created and help create. It doesn’t matter how good the writing is, if someone can’t get past your awful design, then you’ve lost many, many potential readers, opportunities and clients.
So design-wise, just keep it simple. And say a big no to huge headers, super bright and contrasting colors and auto-play music. Add your personality in there and a look that will give your readers an overall feel of what your site is about; but just make sure it is as easy on the eyes as possible. And a big one: keep the sidebars as uncluttered as possible. Also, make sure it’s easy for people to contact you (I always stumbled on blogs where I have to look so hard to find an email address, so I eventually give up and leave). You just never know who wants to write to you!
2. Good content. Now that you’ve impressed a new reader with a good looking blog, it’s time to capture them with good content. Good, original content is the way to go. “Good” is different for everyone, so just be yourself. Whatever your interests, your personality, your way of writing… do that. It makes you unique. Think of all the popular bloggers of today – they all have unique voices, opinions and personalities that have made them stand out.
3. Don’t be shy to promote. I’ve been there. I was always super shy to show people my site, and a lot of my friends have no idea about this one, either. Yet, anyway! But how is anyone going to know about your blog unless you tell them? So tell all your friends, and tell them to tell their friends! Print business cards and give it out whenever you meet someone, put a link to it in forum signatures, comment on other blogs… I’d say in the beginning of your blog, promotion is one of your top priorities. It takes time, but slowly but surely people will get interested and they will come.
4. Engage with others – especially your readers. So you’ve got a great looking blog, amazing content, and you’ve promoted it as much as you can. People are starting to read and drop by. What to do next? Talk to them! Talk to your readers, talk to other bloggers, start connecting with others.
This is really important because you will never, ever get anywhere in the blogging “industry” if you don’t know anyone (kinda like all industries, really). Blogging is a form of social media; a communication platform – so you better be ready to talk to a lot of people! Pick a few ways you want to connect and focus on that. For me, I focus on my e-mail list (where I email and speak to subscribers a lot) and Twitter. You don’t need to be on every social media platform, you’ll just feel overwhelmed. Choose your favorites and stick with them.
5. Study, study, study! Probably the greatest website you can read about blogging and making money through blogging is Problogger and Copyblogger. Below are books on blogging which are great, my personal favorite being the first one, the book by Problogger:
Clockwise from left: Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett, Blogging Your Way to the Front Row by Yuli Ziv, #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso, Blog Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit and to Create Community by Joy Deangdeelert Cho, WordPress To Go: How to Build a WordPress Website On Your Own Domain, From Scratch, Even If You Are A Complete Beginner by Sarah McHarry, Blogging for Creatives: How designers, artists, crafters and writers can blog to make contacts, win business and build success by Robin Houghton, Blogging for Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal by Tara Frey.
6. Monetization. Whether you’re looking for some pocket money to pay back the hosting fees or looking to do it full time, before you start making money on your blog, make sure you have the traffic. To start off with monetization, try joining an ad network or experiment with affiliate marketing. If your traffic is good enough, there are plenty of blogs who can just live off advertising. However, you can also look into outside areas from your blog. For example, other than advertising you can do freelance writing, sell products, do consulting, design, ambassadorships, speaking/hosting, PR/marketing and event planning – the list is really endless. You can use your blog as a launching pad for other fun projects.
7. Have Patience. One of the reasons why the most popular blogs are so big is because they were one of the first in their niche. Today, there are millions of blogs about everything from cute animals to bread. Everyday, a thousand more blogs are being created, and that’s a thousand more people you have to stand out of the crowd from. So it will take awhile. Be patient. I’ve seen many blogs close within a few months because the blogger thinks they’d be rich and famous immediately. That’s so not the case! So start slowly: Once your blog design and all the technicalities are perfect, your main focus should be on 1) great content, 2) promoting your blog and 3) engaging your readers. Once you have the “foundations” all right, then start slowly with monetization.
Extra Tips
I recently wrote 5 Key Elements For A Successful Women’s Blog on Problogger, the blog that started it all for this (this was the blog I stumbled upon in 2004 which inspired me to start) please feel free to check it out. Here is a short summary of it:
- Keep your site looking visually great. Again, design is king. Keep it simple, minimalist, make sure you have great, big photos. I even suggest adding in soft feminine colors (pastels seem to be very popular) to a minimalistic design, which I notice most of the successful women bloggers do.
- Aim to target a “key women demographic”. “All women” is a target audience but it’s a pretty broad one, and the chances of making it big in one of those “for all women sites” is pretty slim since there are so many (unless you have a lot of money to advertise, of course). Instead, try to focus on a “type” of women; perhaps even women like yourself.
- Offer value to your readers. In other words, don’t post fluff.
- Present information clearly. This goes with the simple design – but make sure all information is presented in a neat, clear way so it’s easy for your readers.
- Stay away from the drama. If this is really a career option for you, nothing will make you and your blog look unprofessional by engaging in drama, controversy, fighting, or the worse “blog wars”.
Good luck on your blogging journey! Blogging is tons of fun and can bring some great opportunities, experiences and memories. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask me on Twitter, and if you know anyone who wants to start a blog, please share this post to them.
P.S. Also check out How to: Manage Email Overload, which will be an issue once your blog starts getting popular!
